Netanyahu attacks and Eisenkot responds.. What happened in the first session of the Knesset after the Israeli elections?

On Tuesday, the new members of the Israeli Knesset were sworn in, two weeks after the elections that resulted in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu losing his majority, leaving the features of the next government ambiguous. After four years of rule, supported by a clear majority, Netanyahu and his coalition consisting of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties (Haredim) only obtained 53 seats, while the opposition camp, led by Gadi Eisenkot, has 67 seats.

This camp includes 48 seats distributed among four Jewish parties, in addition to 19 seats - a record number - for the two Arab parties: the “Joint List” and the “Unified Arab List.” On Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog assigned Eisenkot to form the next government, giving him a period of up to 6 weeks to negotiate the formation of a ruling coalition.

However, the Knesset will begin exercising its duties even before a new government is formed. The opposition's first step is to replace Amir Ohana, the current Knesset speaker loyal to Netanyahu, with its agreed-upon candidate, Matan Kahane, a lawmaker in the Yashar party led by Eisenkot.

On Tuesday, opposition representatives submitted 67 signatures demanding a vote on this change, and the vote is scheduled to take place within a week. Eisenkot's bloc also reached agreements on other key parliamentary positions, and seeks to begin setting the Knesset's legislative agenda even before the government is formed.

In a speech he delivered during the Knesset ceremony, Netanyahu warned against cooperating with Arab parties, describing them as “supporters of terrorism” and seeking to destroy the Jewish state, claiming that his “faith bloc” is the only one capable of “preserving Israel’s sanctities.” For his part, Eisenkot described Netanyahu's speech as "full of hatred and shameful," considering that his continued rule "divides Israel and puts its security at risk," calling at the same time for the formation of a national emergency government.

For his part, President Herzog urged representatives to avoid holding new elections, and called on them to extend their hands towards unity and settlement. Herzog said in his speech during the opening of the session: “This Knesset must complete its full mandate.

Nearly 80 percent of the people voted for you, and you must do everything in your power to avoid a repeat of the elections.” He continued: “In addition to the strict and determined war against those who seek to harm us, we must build a stable political horizon in the region with our neighbors, strengthen the peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the Emirates, and Bahrain, and work to expand their scope.”

Herzog also denounced what he called "moral stains that distort the beautiful face of Israel," calling for the elimination of violence and racism "with full force." He said: "There is no place for bullying, there is no place for racism against anyone, and there is no place for violence; neither in Arab society, nor in the hills of Judea and Samaria, nor in the streets of cities, nor in schools, nor anywhere else."